Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 Devs Explain Why Some Clans Are Locked Behind Extra Purchase
Eduard Zamikhovsky
The team behind Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 recently found itself in hot water after players noticed that the game’s Standard Edition only includes four vampire clans (the game’s equivalent of classes), while two additional clans are locked behind the most expensive edition. The backlash was swift, prompting the developers to clarify the situation.
Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun, the studio’s PR manager explained that these “premium” clans weren’t part of the original development plan, which is why they were shifted into DLC. The add-on will release alongside the main game so fans won’t have to wait.
Narrative director Ian Thomas added that the base game already comes packed with extra content:
So we've made a huge amount of changes over that time, based on that cycle, if you like. Including a massive amount of story content and features and all the rest of it. So we have been expanding it from where we originally planned to land it, I think, constantly, and Paradox have been really good when we go, or when the clients go, or when Paradox go: 'We should add a bit more here. Let's push the date back.' As you know, the date has pushed back, but that has been to fatten it out into something that we feel does land where the players want it.
Thomas emphasized that the team is still adding content to the game even at this stage, when most studios are focused on polishing. This includes story elements tied to clans as well as cosmetic options like hairstyles and piercings: “It's not all, like, just fluff that we're chucking in. It's all got that same quality there.”
Publisher Paradox Interactive also weighed in, calling the paid clans a way to “get additional players”:
It's not uncommon for games to come out with additional content, and given the nature of the game as it stands, where it's been through a lot, this is a way to get additional players in that have been asking for that content, and asking for those clans, on day one.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 launches October 21 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. You can read our hands-on preview.
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It's Official — Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 launches October 21
